


pretty eyes, pirate smile

by WishingTree



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Pirate AU, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-03-11 07:00:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13518969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingTree/pseuds/WishingTree
Summary: When Nico ran away from home and set off to sail the seas, she expected to run into trouble – bandits, some rival pirates, whatever her parents were going to send after her, yes, but never any mythological creatures. Everyone had heard the stories of the mermaids, but that was all they were – stories. Nico knew it as well as anybody; mermaids weren’t real. They couldn't be.And then she meets one.In which Nico’s a pirate, Karolina’s a mermaid, and the seven seas never stood a chance.





	1. look for the girl with the sun in her eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Partially inspired by [this wonderful art](http://elmesart.tumblr.com/post/169311792320/piratenico-and-princesskarolina-is-god-tier-au) and partially inspired by Elton John (don’t ask how that one factors in, I was sick and halfway delirious).
> 
> Special thanks to [americanhoney913](http://archiveofourown.org/users/americanhoney913/pseuds/americanhoney913) for helping me get started on the ideas!
> 
> On another note, is this historically accurate? …Nope.
> 
> Title from ‘Tiny Dancer’ by Elton John;  
> Chapter titles from ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ by The Beatles;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings, everybody! This is the first time I've tried writing a pirate au, of which I know nothing about, so... yes. We'll see how this turns out. Hope you all enjoy the ride!

Nico took a deep breath as she stepped out onto the deck, feeling the spray of seawater on her face. It was a beautiful day, the sun beating down hot, and she surveyed her ship proudly as she blinked to adjust to the brightness, hands on her hips. The _Leapfrog_ was on the smaller side, but Nico loved it dearly, and against all expectations, she and her friends had made it a home.

That line of thought was interrupted when a rag hit her right in the face.

“Nice of you to join us, Captain!” Gert called out from across the deck, wandering closer with her hands linked behind her back. Her sleeves were pushed up and her forearms were streaked with dirt, indicating that she had likely been helping Chase with one of his latest projects, and Nico hoped her presence meant that this one wouldn’t blow up. For someone who knew exactly what he was doing, Chase was remarkably good at causing accidental explosions.

“Hey, Gert,” Nico greeted, balling up the rag and going over to her. Old Lace was pacing around nearby, eyeing the seagulls circling the mast, but Nico wasn’t worried she would try anything. The dinosaur was well behaved, even this far from her home in the south and stuck on a boat. “Any signs of action headed our way?”

“You get tired of polishing your cutlass collection already?” Gert teased, raising an eyebrow and shooting her a mischievous smile as she rested her hand on Old Lace’s neck. The wind blew her purple hair around her face, and Nico scoffed as she tossed the rag back at her.

“Please, like you don’t take every opportunity do something that would piss off your parents, even though they’re not here to see it.”

Gert caught it deftly, shrugging and patting Old Lace on the nose, whispering something to her before letting her go. “For better or worse, that’s all we can do from here,” she sighed, adjusting her glasses and brushing her hair back. “I mean, either way, I will say one thing,” she sent Nico a lopsided grin and nodded her head towards the open ocean. “We never got a view like this before.”

Crown princess turned pirate, Gert had run away from home with her sister when they’d discovered a nasty plot their parents were involved in with some of the neighboring kingdoms, including Nico’s own. They’d had a rough go of it for a while after joining up, but eventually they’d acquired the _Leapfrog_ and everything had fallen in place.

“Heads up!” came a shout from above, and Nico stepped back to watch Molly descending from the crow’s nest, the younger girl jumping gleefully between the ropes and rigging until she swung herself down to land solidly on the deck. She had a bandana holding back her hair and the beginnings of a sunburn on her cheeks, and Nico made a mental note to find her a hat.

“So, Nico, do we know where we’re going yet? Her majesty Gert is getting all fidgety since we don’t have a plan.”

“What? Am not!”

Molly laughed, bouncing on the balls of her feet and making a face at her. “Says you.”

Old Lace cracked an eye open from where she had curled up in the corner to sunbathe, and after a moment evidently decided it wasn’t worth her time, going back to her nap.

“We’re going to dock tonight, and then we’ll find a destination before we head out in the morning,” Nico told her, pulling a stray piece of hair away from her lip, and Molly nudged Gert in the side, ever playful.

“There you go, princess, I told you Nico would have a plan,” she said cheekily, and then ducked when Gert’s hand swiped at her.

“Shut up. You’re technically a princess too!”

They started to bicker louder, smiles on their faces as they poked at each other, and Nico shook her head in amusement, spotting Chase standing off to the side and deciding he was the less hazardous option right now.

“Are you going to put a stop to that?” Nico asked wryly when she reached him, crossing her arms and leaning a shoulder against the wall.

“Are you kidding? No way! I’m not getting in the middle of them,” Chase grinned. “I can fix a lot of things, but not that argument. They’ve been having it for years.”

Nico gave him half a smile and clapped him on the shoulder. “Well, you have fun with that. I’m headed to the bridge.”

She left him and made her way across the ship, sidestepping various bits of gear and nodding at the crewmembers she passed. It was quick to get to the quarterdeck and climb up the short flight of stairs, and then she opened the door and let herself into a much quieter room, closing out the sounds of the sea and the sisters behind her.

Alex was at the helm, maps piled up on the table next to him where he had undoubtedly been poring over them earlier, and he looked over his shoulder when he heard her come in.

“Hey, Nico,” he gave her a smile as he pushed up his glasses before turning back to the wheel. “How’s it going?”

“Nothing to complain about yet,” she said, releasing a puff of air and going over to look at the maps. “How’s our heading?”

“Steady and on schedule,” Alex reported.

“We’ll reach land by nightfall then,” Nico commented, lifting her eyes to the horizon visible through the windows. “Good. I think we could use a night ashore.”

Most of the crew would opt to sleep at the nearest inn for the night, but Nico never felt right being away from the ship. The others usually stayed behind as well, and Nico couldn’t say she wasn’t looking forward to the calm that came with a near empty ship.

Unfortunately, almost as if the universe had heard her, the relative peace of the morning was immediately shattered.

“Captain!” came the distant warning shout, and then a small explosion rocked the ship. Given the fact that they were surrounded by empty water, therefore eliminating the possibility of an attack, Nico knew exactly what had caused it, and she covered her face with one hand.

“Damn it, Chase!”

 

 

 

Saying her goodbyes, Nico left the inn and began the walk back to the docks, shoving her hands into her pockets. The sun was beginning to set, casting lengthening rays of light over the island, and Nico kept an eye open for any signs of danger hiding in the shadows. 

Thankfully, she didn’t run into any trouble as she made her way back to the edge of the city, and the sound of distant waves crashing on the sand calmed her. She idly observed the edge of the beach, always drawn to the ocean, and then came a flash of something in her peripherals.

Automatically turning towards it, her brow furrowed as she examined the shoreline, scrutinizing the area in front of her. She took a step forward, not seeing anything out of the ordinary, but then the flash of light came again just as she was about to dismiss it as a figment of her imagination. This time it came from around the bend of a nearby sandbank, and it would have been hidden from sight had she not taken a step off the main road.

Nico squinted, craning her neck, and then blinked in surprise when she finally spotted a person huddled up where the water met land, waves washing up past them. It was too dark for Nico to make out any of their features, with the exception of one thing.

Their rainbow tail, covered in multicolored scales that glinted in the setting sunlight.

“A… mermaid?” Nico whispered to herself, not quite believing her eyes. She hopped off the raised cobblestone road, her boots landing lightly on the sandy beach, and then she was moving towards her as if drawn by some invisible force.

She blinked hard and rubbed her eyes for good measure, and sure enough, a mermaid with long blond hair was sitting curled up on the sand. Her tail glittered every color, shining in the low light, and it almost looked like it was glowing.

The mermaid seemed to be hunched over, and as she got closer, Nico realized with dismay that she was tangled up in an old fishing net. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself as she struggled to get free, and she had her head ducked down while her tail thrashing at the air.

“What…?” Nico breathed again, creeping forward in a haze of disbelief. The mermaid’s head shot up at the sound of her voice, and her struggling intensified, a panicked expression on her face as she tried to back away.

Nico couldn’t help gaping, still in shock, and it was only when the mermaid made a pained noise and tried to free herself again that she was brought back.

“Easy, there,” Nico tried, stepping into the water and slowly kneeling down in front of her, holding both her hands up. “I’ll get you out of that, okay?” she said as soothingly as she could, slowly moving one hand to reach under her jacket and behind her back. The mermaid was watching her warily, and Nico carefully felt for the sheath she had strapped to her belt, finding it and pulling out her knife. The mermaid jerked backwards again, and Nico winced. “No, I’m just going to cut the net, okay? I won’t hurt you.” 

She held her hands up, keeping her eyes on the mermaid’s face and letting her appraise her cautiously, and her breath caught when she met the mermaid’s eyes. They were a breathtaking blue, deep and alluring and pulling at Nico in a way she had only ever felt from the open sea, and when the mermaid nodded slightly, Nico only half registered it until the water lapping at her ankles brought her back to the present.

She cleared her throat and then shook her head a few times, reaching forward to saw through the rope trapping her. It was a thick net, and she had to sever more than a couple pieces before it finally fell away, dropping limply to the sand. Nico breathed a sigh of relief, putting her knife away, and the mermaid quickly shimmied out of it, pushing herself back in the process. She didn’t go any farther than that, watching Nico with an expression that was somewhere between cautious and curious, and Nico wanted to know how this was happening.

The sea breeze blew past them, causing a shiver to run down Nico’s spine, and she absently noted that the mermaid didn’t look affected by the cold. Shifting her weight from foot to foot, Nico started to weigh her options. They couldn’t stay stuck in a staring contest for the entire night, after all.

“Captain Nico Minoru,” she introduced herself awkwardly, holding her hand out to the other girl, but she only looked down at in confusion before glancing at Nico with wide eyes.

As she shifted around, trying to arrange her tail more comfortably, her long hair fell to the side with the motion. Nico didn’t think anything of it, but when she unclasped her arms, she was greeted with the sight of far too much skin.

“Woah! Okay, you’re naked,” Nico flushed and averted her gaze to the sky, holding up a hand to block the view of the mermaid’s bare chest. “You’re so naked, oh my god.” 

The mermaid only blinked at her, looking down in confusion before facing Nico again, and Nico squeezed her eyes shut. “Here,” she said, quickly shrugging out her jacket and holding it out blindly for her to take. There was a long moment before she felt it lift out of her hand, and then came the sound of rustling material.

When the mermaid’s tail thumped lightly against the sand, Nico peeked through her fingers to see the mermaid looking up at her tentatively. She was wearing the jacket, thankfully covering herself up, but it still hung open in the front, and Nico gestured at it.

“You have to – the buttons, you see them?”

It took some fumbling, and just when Nico was going to suck it up and do it for her, the mermaid figured them out and made a pleased sound as she buttoned the jacket closed, starting at her neck and moving her way down.

Nico sighed in relief, but then something else caught her eye. “Wait,” Nico held out a hand to stop her, furrowing her brow. “Wait, are you – is that blood?” she asked, voice dropping unexpectedly into concern.

The mermaid shifted gingerly, dropping her arm to hold it over her side protectively as she shied away from her. She clutched the bottom half of the jacket closed over the blood, but she wasn’t quick enough to hide it, and Nico grimaced sympathetically. There was a harsh looking abrasion low on her torso, scraped skin just above her hipbone, and it looked painful. She had plastered it with some kind of underwater moss or algae, but the edges were tinged dark red as the blood seeped through sluggishly.

“Okay,” Nico sighed, letting her hand drop and sitting back on her heels. They appraised each other inquisitively, and even though Nico saw the same wariness reflected in her eyes, the mermaid hadn’t disappeared into the water. That had to mean something.

“Can you talk?” Nico asked hesitantly, figuring they had to start somewhere.

The girl pressed her lips together and grimaced as she appeared to think over how to answer. “…Yes,” she finally whispered, immediately bracing herself as if expecting some kind of backlash at the word.

Nico looked around in confusion, wondering if she had somehow missed some threat, but they were still alone on the beach, nobody else in sight.

“Yes?” the mermaid repeated, perking up, and Nico stared at her blankly, watching her become more animated. “Yes!”

Her voice was beautiful, the sound smooth and almost musical in quality. It washed over Nico, mesmerizing in its tone, and Nico found herself wanting… something.

She abruptly pulled back, catching herself and clearing her throat. “So, um… what’s your name? How’d you get here?”

“I’m… Karolina,” the mermaid said softly, playing with the cuff on one of Nico’s jacket sleeves. “I was swimming by, and then… I got stuck. In that net.”

Nico nodded, glaring at the remains of the net. “Are you okay though? How did you get… hurt?”

“There were some rocks I didn’t see,” Karolina said regretfully, “It was my fault, but these waters… they’re different from the ones I grew up in.”

Nico tilted her head, watching her consideringly. “Right. No offense, but don’t mermaids usually… stay a bit more well hidden? Given that, you know, nobody ever sees them.”

“I’m not supposed to come this close to a human settlement,” Karolina shook her head, stretching one hand out to meet the surface of the ocean as the water broke on the sand. “It’s like, rule number one. But I…” she furrowed her brow, watching the water surge and crest over her tail. “I wanted…”

She didn’t continue, and Nico knew it wasn’t her place to ask.

“You have anywhere to be?” she tried instead. She couldn’t leave her alone in good conscience, not when she was hurt and clearly out of her depth.

Karolina shook her head again. “I ran away from home,” she said quietly, and Nico recognized the heavy note in her voice immediately.

“Hey, well,” Nico shrugged, crossing her arms over her knees, “So did I.” 

Surprised, Karolina turned to her again, and Nico half smiled.

“If you have no place to go,” she started slowly, digging her fingers into the sand as she hesitated, wondering what the hell she was doing. “I’m… Do you want to come back with me to my ship? We’ll be setting sail in the morning. At least to give you a chance to recover,” she gestured at her side and eyed her uncertainly.

There was something about her that was drawing Nico in. She’d never felt anything like it before, but figured it was probably because she was a _mermaid_. Nico was actually talking to a mermaid, a very nonthreatening mermaid, who didn’t look even a little bit fearsome or bloodthirsty in any way. She was nothing like the sirens from the stories, the cautionary tales of powerful mermaids who would drag people down into the deep, of sirens who could lure anyone to their death with a single song. She’d heard them all and more, but Karolina didn’t fit that picture, not even a little bit.

“Are you… inviting me on board?” Karolina asked, a hopeful expression on her face. “I’ve never been on a human ship.”

Nico hummed, realizing that as strange as this was for her, it must be just as strange for Karolina. “I mean, can you – human legs, can you get them?” Nico asked, “Is that part of the stories true too?”

Karolina nodded, reaching her hands up to brush her hair aside and fiddle with a necklace Nico hadn’t realized she was wearing. Hanging on it was some kind of metallic bracelet, made of a material Nico didn’t recognize, and as soon as Karolina took it off and snapped it around her wrist, the glow of her tail started to dull. Nico pulled back in surprise as the scales seemed to shift, and then she groaned as a pair of long, toned legs swirled into existence. She clapped a hand over her eyes and muttered profanities under her breath, because there was now a beautiful girl in front of her, naked from the waist down.

“You – I don’t have an extra pair of pants on me, but you can’t – you can’t be – ” She stuttered as she tried to get herself under control. “Can you swim to the docks?” Nico finally got out, pointing in the direction she had been headed before spotting her on the beach. Her voice was tinged with desperation, but she wasn’t going to make Karolina swim with her injury if it would hurt her.

“Yes,” came Karolina’s voice again, and Nico didn’t open her eyes as she nodded, relieved.

“Alright, get to the docks, my ship is the _Leapfrog_. I’ll meet you there and let down a ladder, alright?”

“Okay,” was the response, and Nico waited until she heard the click of the bracelet opening before uncovering her eyes. The mermaid was watching her curiously, an amused expression on her face as her tail flicked back and forth in the sand, and Nico almost felt like blushing.

“Alright, I’ll – I’ll see you soon then,” Karolina said with a tentative smile, holding up her hand. She slid herself towards the water, and with the next wave she was gone.

Nico stared at the spot where she had vanished and sighed, standing and trying to brush the sand off her clothes as best as she could.

She had just met a mermaid. A _mermaid_.

Turning, she hurried through the streets, eager to get back to the _Leapfrog_. It wasn’t long before the docks were in sight, and she jogged up the gangplank of her ship and headed straight towards the ladder on the far side, veering off at the last second to grab a blanket out of one of the hatches against the side. It was quiet on deck, and Nico’s footsteps were the only things disrupting the ever–present sounds of the ocean.

Sticking her head over the side, she saw the same rainbow glow swimming in a lazy figure eight underwater. With the last bit of the sunset reflecting off of it, it was quite the picture, and Nico paused for a moment to take it in.

“…Karolina?” she called out quietly, wondering how to get her attention, but she needn’t have worried, because Karolina immediately popped her head out of the water and waved. With a flick of her tail, she was at the ship, and Nico unrolled the wooden ladder, letting it fall and hearing the wooden slats hit against the hull.

With another quick flick of her tail, Karolina launched herself up out of the water to grab the bottom rung, hanging off of it easily. Nico’s eyes widened, impressed at the casual show of strength, and she watched as Karolina pulled herself up a few rungs. She was still wearing Nico’s jacket, thankfully, and Nico watched as she let go with one hand to put her bracelet on. In the next moment she had legs again, bare feet kicking at the air before she began to climb, and her steps were slow and unsure. When Karolina was about halfway up, she paused, staring down at her feet, and then she seemed to give up, because she transferred her weight to her arms and climbed up with her feet only brushing each rung.

She reached the top, planting her hands and swinging herself onto the deck, and Nico bit back a laugh at the way she pinwheeled her arms and teetered on her new legs before gaining her balance. Immediately holding out the blanket, Nico gestured for her to wrap it around her waist, and Karolina obliged, smiling easily. With the blanket secure, she grinned at Nico and shook her arms out, the wet jacket sticking to her in a way that could hardly be comfortable.

Now that they were standing next to each other, the first thing Nico noticed was how much taller Karolina was, standing at least half a head above her even though she was barefoot. She would estimate that she was about the same height as Chase was, and Nico narrowed her eyes up at her before glimpsing the way she was holding one hand against her injured side. Nico examined her in concern, but thankfully she didn’t seem to be feeling anything worse than mild discomfort right now.

The second thing she noticed was how attractive Karolina was, and then the only thought she had was _oh no_.

There was a shuffling sound behind her, and Nico turned to see Old Lace creeping forward warily, tilting her head in a curious manner with Molly close behind. Karolina’s eyes widened, her hand coming up to grip Nico’s arm, and Nico started in surprise at the touch, glancing over to check Karolina’s reaction. She seemed more fascinated than afraid, and Nico slowly relaxed, turning back around.

“Hey Nico,” Molly greeted, keeping an eye on Karolina, “What’s up?”

Nico opened her mouth but found she was at a loss at how to explain this situation. Karolina evidently saw her expression and took a step forward.

“I’m Karolina,” she introduced herself, glancing over at Nico uncertainly once more before sticking her hand out like Nico had done on the beach. Her eyes widened in surprise when Molly made to shake her hand, turning towards Nico, and Nico felt her heart skip a beat for some unknown reason.

“You shake hands,” Nico explained, pantomiming the motion, and Karolina made an understanding sound before copying her, shaking Molly’s hand again. Molly looked confused, but gave her a smile when she let go.

“Right,” Nico cleared her throat, “Molls, I met Karolina on the beach. She is…” she glanced over at Karolina for a moment before shrugging helplessly, “A mermaid.”

Molly immediately jumped up and grabbed Nico’s arm, eyes widening in excitement as she whipped her head back and forth between the two of them. “You’re serious?”

Laughing, Nico nodded as she let herself get shaken around. It was near impossible to loosen Molly’s grip if she didn’t want to, so she didn’t bother trying. Karolina was beaming at them, and Nico felt her cheeks coloring.

“You’re a mermaid? Like, for real?” Molly let go of Nico and bounced towards Karolina, clasping her hands in front of her when Karolina nodded with a smile. “Can I see your tail? Have you ever heard a siren song? Can you swim really fast? Where do you live? How – ”

“Hey, I’m going to go find her some clothes before anything else, alright?” Nico interrupted her tirade gently, putting a hand on Karolina’s arm and tugging her towards the cabins. Molly blinked and took in her current attire before nodding eagerly and dashing off with the mention that she was going to get the others.

Nico watched her go, rolling her eyes affectionately, and then waved Karolina forward. The mermaid followed her, looking around with poorly hidden excitement on her face, but she promptly tripped over nothing and turned her gaze to stare at her feet. Karolina’s brow furrowed in concentration as she took one step at a time, stumbling forward as if just realizing she didn’t have her tail, and Nico instinctively took her arm, her other hand going around her back to hover over her waist. Karolina looked up in surprise but didn’t shy away from the touch, only giving her a grateful smile as they made their way slowly down the hall, and her steps gradually became more confident.

When they reached her cabin, she opened the door and gestured for Karolina to enter first. Her steps were careful as she walked inside, shuffling her feet against the floorboards, and Nico shut the door quietly behind them before leading her forward.

“Here,” Nico murmured, depositing her on the edge of the table before going over to fetch the small medical kit she kept in her desk. “Do you want to do it yourself?” she asked, pulling out some bandages and a jar of ointment.

Karolina’s brow furrowed as she surveyed the items piled in Nico’s arms, clearly at a loss, and Nico nodded.

“It’s okay, I can do it, you don’t have to worry.”

Karolina sighed and gave her a relieved smile, and then she moved to unbutton the jacket again.

“No,” Nico stopped her with a hand on her arm, hoping her voice didn’t sound as panicked as she felt, “No, hah, let’s – hang on, let me get you something to cover up with first.” She flushed, not comfortable with the prospect of being faced with a shirtless Karolina again.

Karolina looked confused but lowered her arms anyways, returning her hands to her lap as Nico exhaled and spun to face the other side of the room.

“Okay,” she murmured to herself, going over to her dresser, “We need to get you clothes…” After some digging, she came up with a set that looked like they would fit her.

“These pants will be a little short, but some boots should be high enough to cover it up,” Nico told her, handing over the bundle of clothes and staunchly ignoring the way her fingers tingled where they brushed against Karolina’s.

Karolina examined the clothes curiously, touching the material before trying to unfold them. The undershirt slid off her lap as she was preoccupied with the pants, and Nico deftly caught it before standing again. “Okay, let’s deal with those later, yeah?” She reached out and gently placed her hand over one of Karolina’s, guiding her to put the remaining clothes down on the table next to her, and then rearranging the material in her hands until she found the head hole. She stared at the shirt, and then she stared at Karolina, and then she sighed in resignation. “Okay, you need to unbutton the jacket to take it off, just like before.”

Karolina nodded, straightening so she could get at the buttons, and Nico took one last deep breath as she glanced at the ceiling while Karolina shrugged out of the jacket.

“Here,” Nico murmured, keeping her eyes on Karolina’s face as she helped get the shirt over her head, carefully pulling it down and holding it out for her to put her arms through. Karolina moved gingerly when she stretched out the arm on her injured side, but had no trouble getting the shirt on, and Nico finally relaxed.

“Hold that here, okay?” she asked, waiting until Karolina brought her hand up to hold the shirt where it was bunched up to reveal her torso before letting go. Nico scooped up the soaked jacket and hung it on the back of a chair before turning back.

“I’m going to have to touch you to bandage that,” she told her, worrying at her lip as she reluctantly poked the supplies on the table, but Karolina gave her a charming little half smile and reached out to lay her fingers on Nico’s wrist.

“It’s okay. Thank you for this.”

Nico blinked at her and then nodded, focusing on the injury she was supposed to be dressing.

Carefully, she pulled the patch of moss away from her skin, properly revealing the bloody abrasion. Whatever this stuff was, it had done a fantastic job of temporarily sealing up the wound and came off cleanly, but Nico still sucked in a breath at the sight it revealed, lightly touching a finger to the edge of the broken skin.

Hesitating one last time, she settled her hand gently on Karolina’s waist right next to the scrape to hold her steady, ignoring the way her stomach flipped when she felt Karolina’s body move with her breathing. Karolina stayed quiet as she worked, and she cleaned it as quickly as she could, biting her lip and wincing every time Karolina flinched or released a pained sound.

Thankfully, her wound had stopped bleeding at some point, and it was an easy matter to wrap the bandage around her after. “Okay,” she let out a relieved breath, her fingers lingering on Karolina’s waist, “That should hold.” She looked up and then stilled again, caught in the way Karolina was watching her. Karolina smiled, and the sight was so _pretty_ that Nico absolutely believed she wasn’t human, because nobody had any right to look like that with tousled wet hair and dressed only in an ill–fitting shirt.

“Right,” she cleared her throat and pushed herself to her feet, hurriedly drawing her hands back, “I – you’d better get changed now.”

She gathered up the clothes for her and waved Karolina towards the partition set up in the corner, leaving her to it while she went to occupy herself with digging through her closet. There was exactly one pair of boots that might have a chance of fitting her, one of Gert’s old pairs that she had stolen when she had run away, and she knew they were in here something.

“Ah–hah,” she mumbled to herself as she pulled them out, ignoring the boxes she toppled in the process. The boots were in good condition, and Nico brushed them off as she moved away from the closet.

“Nico,” Karolina called, stepping out from behind the partition with her head down as she tugged at her new clothes. She glanced up as if looking for approval, and Nico couldn’t hide her smile when she realized the mermaid had put the tunic on backwards. But she looked so pleased with herself, twirling happily and tugging at her new clothes, Nico decided to leave it be.

The tunic that was loose and long enough to fall to mid-thigh on Nico fit Karolina perfectly, and the trousers were indeed too short on her, but even standing barefoot with comically short pants, she was one of the most effortlessly graceful sights Nico had ever seen.

There was a pause, and then Nico scrunched up her face, firmly shutting that train of thought down.

Karolina’s hair was still dripping wet, something she clearly wasn’t used to, because she kept tipping her head this way and that, shaking it loose when the strands stuck to her neck and shoulders.

“You, uh, you look great,” Nico said, turning and bending to rummage through a chest with one hand, grabbing her spare jacket. She then tucked the boots under her arm and held it the jacket for Karolina to step into with a slightly awkward motion. It was spare specifically because it was so oversized on Nico, much too long with dangling sleeves and a trailing hem, but Nico suspected it would be perfect for the mermaid, and she was right. Karolina smoothed down the jacket, clearly liking the clothes, and she cut an elegant picture when she pulled her hair over one shoulder and started to braid it.

“I found you a pair of boots, they look about your size…” Nico told her, eyeing them critically before shrugging and setting them down on the floor next to the armchair, gesturing for Karolina to sit in the same motion.

Karolina’s eyes lit up when Nico handed her a pair of socks, and she quickly tied off her braid before examining them with an intrigued look on her face. She figured out how to untuck the socks from each other and made a delighted sound as she sat down, and Nico found herself smiling without conscious thought.

With only a little bit of fumbling, Karolina managed to put them both on, bending her knees in a position that couldn’t possibly be comfortable to manage it, and Nico stifled a laugh. Karolina looked up at the sound, grinning at her as she straightened her legs, and Nico smiled back.

Karolina was wiggling her toes in her socks, clearly excited about them, and Nico pointed at the boots. “Can you figure those out?”

Karolina nodded firmly before her face split into another grin, scooping up a boot and holding it up in front of her.

“That’s the left foot,” Nico supplied, lifting her own booted foot and pointing at it, “They have specific sides, and it’s really uncomfortable if you get them wrong.”

Nodding, Karolina tugged at the laces and managed to get her foot into it without too much trouble.

“And then you just tie them up,” Nico instructed, watching as Karolina adeptly pulled the laces tight and then proceeded to knot them together in what had to be the most intricate knot Nico had ever seen.

“…Okay,” she shrugged, giving her an encouraging smile when she looked up for approval, “Yeah, that works.”

Karolina giggled, knocking her feet together and practically bouncing in her chair. “Feet are so much fun!” She quickly pulled on the other boot and laced it up in the same way, stomping both feet when she was done, and Nico was oddly charmed by the sight.

“Come on,” Nico said, holding out a hand to help her up and then straightening Karolina’s jacket before she realized what she was doing. “Let’s go introduce you to the rest of the crew.”

 

 

 

Her friends were all milling around when Nico emerged from her quarters, Karolina in tow, and she waved them over for the introduction.

“This is Alex, the ship’s navigator. You’ve already met Molly and Old Lace,” Nico pointed to them in turn. “Here’s Chase, our mechanic, and my first mate Gert, who can do anything and everything.” Chase lifted his hand in a wave while Gert nodded in greeting.

“And you are… pirates?” Karolina said uncertainly, glancing between them and around the ship in interest even as she shifted uncertainly on her feet.

Alex and Gert traded matching smirks, while Chase laughed. “Actually, this ship sails on under a letter of marque.” 

“What’s that?” Karolina asked curiously, bringing her hand up to fiddle with the end of her braid.

Nico raised an eyebrow at the question and grinned roguishly, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s basically a piece of paper that says ‘I do what I want’.”  

Gert scoffed and shook her head, but she was smiling too. “We’re allowed to capture enemy ships, as sanctioned by whatever country the letter is from. Therefore, tah-dah, we’re considered ‘privateers’ instead of pirates.” 

“Which country is your letter from?”

Nico thought about it for a second, propping one hand up on her hip and scratching her forehead. “Um…”

The others all started talking at once, making it very obvious that nobody could remember what country it was issued by, and Nico held up a hand to stop the verbal onslaught.

“Look at it this way,” she shrugged, holding her hands out, “To us, they’re all enemy ships.”

Karolina nodded, a little furrow between her eyes as she took in all the information. “And that’s… allowed?”

“Absolutely not. But we haven’t been caught yet!” 

Karolina giggled, amusement lighting up her eyes again, and Molly went to her side, patting her on the arm as she loudly whispered, “We’re totally pirates,” with a nonchalant shrug.

“So, will you be coming with us?” Alex asked, putting his hands in his pockets and glancing at Nico even though his question was addressed to Karolina. “We’ve never had a mermaid on board.”

“Or, you know… ever met one at all,” Chase added.

Molly straightened and nodded eagerly, interceding, “It’s _so cool_.”

“Where is she going to sleep?” Gert spoke up, casting a glance at the dark sky before looking at Nico, “All the cabins are full.”

Nico hesitated again, watching Karolina out of the corner of her eye as she mentally mapped out the ship’s available sleeping quarters. Finding that Gert’s assessment was indeed accurate, Nico could only come up with one solution.

“You can stay with me,” she offered, “There’s plenty of room in the captain’s quarters.” 

Karolina nodded agreeably, and Nico scowled when she saw the rest of her friends gaping at her with various degrees of shock from behind Karolina’s back. Thankfully, Karolina yawned before she had to do something drastic to shut them up, bringing up a hand to cover her mouth and giving her the cue she needed to leave.

“Alright, and that’s calling it,” she held an arm out and started to usher Karolina back towards the cabins, “I’m going to get Karolina set up for bed. ‘Night, guys.”

There was some muttering, along with what Nico was sure were some sly comments at her expense, but she was too distracted by Karolina’s eyes again to hear what they were saying.

Molly tugged on Karolina’s sleeve as they moved forwards, giving her a hopeful smile. “Can I see your tail now?”

Karolina tilted her head, but Nico jumped in before she could undoubtedly agree. “Not right now, Molly, maybe in a few days. She’s hurt.”

Molly gasped, immediately zeroing in on the way Karolina had one arm folded protectively over her waist. “Oh no, what happened?”

Karolina laughed lightly, starting to tell the story again, and Nico was about to follow them when she felt a touch on her arm.

“Are you sure about this?” Alex whispered lowly, pulling her away from the group, and Nico gave him a look.

“What, you think that my parents somehow tracked us down and sent her as a spy or something? You worry too much, Alex, she’s a _mermaid_. My parents hate them.” Nico hummed and thought about it for a second. “Huh. I did always think it was weird that they hated mermaids so much when they weren’t even real. I guess they must have known.”

“I’m just saying – ”

“She’s like us, okay?” Nico waved a hand, gesturing at the ship around them. “She’s like all of us. A runaway with nowhere to go.”

Alex fell silent after that, eventually giving her a nod, and Nico barely refrained from rolling her eyes as she turned away. She really didn’t need his permission to do anything on her own ship, no matter what he seemed to think.

“Goodnight, Alex. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said over her shoulder, and he stayed where he was as she hurried to catch up with the others.

 

 

 

Karolina was perched on the edge of the desk with her back to the door when Nico entered. Her legs were crossed at the ankles and her hands were resting on either side of her hips as she stared out the window at the moonlit waters, and somehow Nico wasn’t surprised to find her there. In front of that window was one of Nico’s favorite spots on the ship, and she assumed it was natural for Karolina to be entranced by the water. She wondered what it would feel like to be away from it like she was, to essentially be in a different world than the one she was from.

The latch clicked when she closed the door, and Karolina stood up, moving away from the desk and coming over to stand in front of her with a smile. She stuck her hand out again, and Nico stared at it for a long moment before figuring it out.

“Oh!” she huffed a laugh and gently pushed Karolina’s hand back down to her side. “No, you only shake hands when you meet somebody for the first time. Or if they’re like, business partners you never see.”

“Ah,” Karolina nodded, giving her a bashful smile and linking her fingers together. She didn’t say anything further, instead choosing to stare at Nico with something indescribable shining in her eyes, and Nico blinked first and looked away, ducking her head to examine her boots.

“It’s ah, it’s been a long day. We should probably get ready for bed.” She stepped around Karolina and busied herself with gathering two sets of pyjamas, suddenly feeling very nervous, though for what she couldn’t say.

Taking a breath to calm herself, Nico picked up the clothes and slid the drawer shut, turning back to face her. “Okay, so, you can have the bed,” she said, shifting awkwardly and unsure of what to say now that they were alone once more.

Karolina turned away from where she had been scanning Nico’s bookshelf, glancing at the bed. “Where will you sleep? I won’t take your bed from you.”

“Oh, no, please. I insist,” Nico held a hand out as if to stop Karolina from moving away. “The floor is awful to sleep on, trust me. And then if we hit a swell, the boat tips and you end up rolling around, and smashing into the bookcase is not a pleasant way to wake up, let me tell you.” 

“Okay, well, fine,” Karolina chewed on her lip for a moment, “Then we’ll share. Your bed is big enough.”

“Oh, uh – ” Nico began to stutter, “No, I meant – ”

“You _just_  finished telling me how terrible sleeping on the floor is, I can’t let you suffer that after everything you’ve done for me!”  Karolina said earnestly, and Nico stopped where she was opening her mouth to protest when she realized the corner she had backed herself into.

She hesitated for a moment longer before giving in. “Alright, well… here.” Holding out the clothes, she waved Karolina towards the partition again, quickly changing herself once she was hidden from view. Moving to the bed and pulling back the covers, she slowly climbed in and settled against the pillows. She focused on the gentle rocking of the boat as she waited for Karolina to emerge from behind the partition, and then she had to hide a grin when there came a muffled thud followed by a bitten-off curse.

“Sorry! I’m just, I forgot I should sit to take the boots off,” Karolina called out a second later, voice sheepish, and Nico laughed again.

“Just don’t hurt yourself. I did a good job bandaging you, I don’t want to have to do it again.”

It wasn’t long after that that she emerged and padded over to the bed, successfully dressed in soft sleep clothes, and she gave Nico a once over before copying her and dropping down onto the mattress. She made a surprised sound when she sank, obviously not expecting it, and then a brilliant smile spread across her face as she smoothed her hands over the blanket.

“It’s soft!” she exclaimed, looking up at Nico in delight, and Nico laughed again. That was strange. She didn’t usually laugh this much.

“Yeah, it’s to make it comfy to sleep.”

Karolina made the same delighted sound, pulling the blanket up to her lap and rubbing at the material, and Nico bit back yet another smile, holding up the covers. “Here, slide down before I put out the light.”

Karolina looked at her uncomprehendingly, and Nico held the blanket up higher, nodding towards it. “Just lie down underneath it. Your head goes on the pillow.” Karolina nodded in thanks and complied, moving carefully to avoid aggravating her side, and then Nico blew out the light and lay down herself, shifting until she was comfortable.

It was quiet for a moment, and then Karolina started moving, drawing her knees up and twisting around. She continued to shift this way and that, flipping over carefully before deciding that wasn’t comfortable either and rolling onto her side.

“Hey,” Nico said, reaching out blindly and laying her hand flat on Karolina’s back. “Chill. I don’t know how you sleep underwater, but just… whatever’s most comfortable,” Nico told her, “Just relax.”

There was a pause as Karolina considered her words, and then Nico heard her turn over again, this time facing her. She had settled close enough that Nico could just barely make out her features, her eyes tracing the curve of her nose and cheekbone in the moonlight, and she was grateful for the darkness covering her own darkening blush.

Karolina giggled quietly, rubbing her feet together under the blankets as she wriggled around, and Nico hid her smile in the darkness.

“Goodnight, Karolina.”

 

 

 

When Nico awoke the next day, it was to a mouth full of hair and a face full of sunlight.

“Blargh,” she turned her head in a vain attempt to stop the sun from shining directly into her eyes. She tried to lift her arm to brush the hair out of her face, but when she realized there was something pinning it down, she cracked her eyes open again in confusion.

Karolina was sprawled out on top of her, head nestled against Nico’s chest with one hand tangled in Nico’s shirt and the other one curled loosely next to her face. Nico had an arm wrapped low around her waist, and the other one was trapped underneath her body.

She froze, suddenly wide awake and feeling her heart skip a beat. Her trapped hand was falling asleep, but her other hand had slipped partially underneath the hem of Karolina’s shirt, her fingers brushing the edge of the bandage wrapped around her torso. She felt more than heard Karolina take a deep breath as she woke up, and she quickly pulled her arm back.

“Hello,” Karolina said sleepily, bringing up a hand to rub at her eyes. She didn’t move from her position on top of Nico, and Nico swallowed.

“Morning,” Nico managed, only realizing she was holding her breath when Karolina sat up and stretched her arms out over her head, wincing minutely and then putting a hand against her side. Nico pushed herself up in concern, but Karolina let out a satisfied sigh and fell back against the pillows next to Nico, nuzzling her cheek into the sun-warmed material.

“I like the sun,” Karolina said without opening her eyes, “I really like it.”

“Well, somebody should,” Nico grumped, fully opening one eye to glare at the window, and she was surprised when Karolina laughed, the happy sound washing over her and filling the room with a bright feeling Nico wasn’t used to.

She let Karolina doze for a few more minutes before she forced herself to get up, not wanting to know what would happen if she let herself fall asleep beside her again. “Okay then,” she threw the blanket off and swung her legs to the floor, “We should get ready.”

Thankfully she didn’t take too much prompting, and they quickly changed, Karolina once again delighted by her pants and boots as they headed out of the cabin together for breakfast.

Karolina was sticking close to Nico’s side and taking everything in with wide eyes as they slowly made their way towards the mess hall. Her head swivelled as they moved through the ship, obviously distracted, but after the third time Karolina stepped on the back of her heel, Nico sighed and turned towards her. “Why are you – you don’t need to walk that close to me.”

“Sorry,” Karolina apologized, drawing her shoulders in contritely, and Nico sighed again before linking their arms, ignoring the way Karolina lit up and pressed into her side.

“Better?”

Karolina nodded happily and pulled her forward, still wobbly but determined. They ran into Chase and Gert just as they were about to enter the mess hall, and Karolina greeted them cheerfully, waving with her free hand.

For her part, Nico glowered at them in response to the looks they gave her, Chase waggling his eyebrows and Gert pointedly eyeing the way their arms were looped together. They smirked, and Nico huffed before pushing the door open and striding inside, pulling Karolina with her.

Members of the crew were scattered around the tables, and all it took to shatter Nico’s remarkable good mood was one sentence overheard from a nearby table.

“You heard about her sister? I bet she deserved it. The navy should’ve known better than to bring that one on board, especially being the daughter of royalty and all that.”

“What did you say?” Nico asked dangerously, turning slowly with one hand lying on the pommel of her sword.

The man’s eyes widened when he turned around and saw them standing there, scrambling to his feet to face Nico. “Oh, Captain, I’m sorry, I didn’t – I just meant – ”

“Meant what?” Nico asked lowly.

“Just, heh…” he scratched at the back of his head, “Just that your sister was, you know, a little… troublesome, from what I heard? If she hadn’t been on board, maybe that ship wouldn’t have – ”

Nico took a step forward and slammed the heel of her palm into his chin, knocking him backwards against the mess hall table. Before he or anybody else could react, Nico had her sword drawn and held against his throat, her other hand fisting the material of his uniform and yanking him up.

Silence fell over the room, and Nico made sure her breathing was perfectly controlled, fighting back the anger in her chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Karolina straighten and make to step forwards, but Gert put a hand on her arm to stop her, shaking her head in a wordless sign to hang back.

That was enough to snap her out of it, and she let out a slow exhale as she closed her eyes for a long moment before snapping them open to glare at the man.

“Consider yourself dismissed,” she said icily, letting him go. He stumbled back against the table, jostling the dishes before he caught his balance. “You’ll disembark at our next stop.”

She sheathed her sword and turned away, ignoring the stares she was getting from the rest of the room.

“I’ll bring you some food later,” Gert told her quietly, and Nico nodded without looking at her. She hesitated in front of Karolina, meeting her gaze quickly before skittering it away, and she only deliberated for a moment longer before sweeping out of the room. Karolina trailed after her towards the captain’s quarters, clearly hesitant about approaching her now, and Nico heaved a sigh as she slowed her steps, running her hand over her face.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said remorsefully, pausing with one hand on the doorknob. “I shouldn’t have lost it like I did.”

“It’s okay,” Karolina said, approaching uncertainly. She was wringing her hands together, and Nico sighed again as she pushed the door open.

“We needed more hands around, so we picked up some crew from one of the outposts. Clearly that one was a mistake. Nobody talks about my sister like that.”

“Are you worried he will… try and harm you in return?”

Nico shook her head. “No, it’ll be fine, he’s just an idiot. My reaction was a little extreme. I’ll be apologizing to him before he leaves.”

“What about the others? The crewmembers?”

“They seem like decent men, and we pay them well enough that they’ll stay loyal for the time being, until they choose to move on.”

Karolina nodded in understanding but didn’t say anything more, playing with the end of her braid. Nico watched her out of the corner of her eye before exhaling and wandering to the other side of the room.

“Me and my sister joined the navy together,” Nico began slowly, lowering herself onto the padded bench by the wide windows and looking out over the sea. “God, our parents hated it, but we did it anyways.” She shook her head, eyes unseeing. “Her name was Amy.” 

She knew she didn’t owe Karolina an explanation, but for some reason she wanted to. It would be nice to talk about it with somebody, and she halfheartedly puzzled over the new feeling as she shifted so her back was against the wall, bringing her knees up to her chest.

Karolina came to sit on the ledge next to her, drawing up a leg and turning to face her so they were both sitting sideways. She splayed her other leg out at a comical angle, and Nico felt herself smiling at the helter-skelter way she was arranging them, clearly not used to sitting with feet.

“She… died. Two years ago.” Karolina straightened immediately, a concerned look on her face, but Nico shook her head, waving her down. “Everyone tells me it was just a tragic accident, but… I don’t believe them. There’s no way Amy…” She rested her cheek against her knees and kept her eyes on the water. “She wasn’t careless, not ever. She was the smart one.

“She was exchanging letters with somebody, and with every one she received, the more worried she would get. She would never tell me what they were about, but I knew they weren’t good news. My parents tried to cover it up after,” she admitted, “They got a hold of her letters before I could, and I… never saw a hint of them again.”

Karolina leaned forward and wrapped her hand around her wrist, touch gentle, and Nico realized she had tears in her eyes.

“We were going to sail the seas together,” Nico stretched her other arm out to the horizon and laying her palm against the window, a wistful smile on her face. “Go on grand adventures, explore the world. Find treasure, discover new lands, just… everything.”

She remembered the impassioned way Amy would talk about it, so excited for their chance to set sail. In a way, Nico knew that Amy would have loved the pirate life, more than Nico did.

It had always suited her more.

“Anyways, that didn’t end up happening,” Nico shook her head and dropped her hand back into her lap. “After she died, I couldn’t stay. I ran away from home, defected from the navy, left everything behind.”

“That’s why you became a pirate?”

The sun was now high in the sky, and Nico sighed as she stared at the bright world outside, rubbing at her eyes to get rid of the tears before they fell.

“Everybody here, they’re all running from something. So, welcome aboard the _Leapfrog_ , Karolina, home of the lost and forgotten.”

“I’m sorry,” Karolina said softly, now holding her hand and leaning forward with concern, and Nico took comfort in her quiet warmth. They stayed there, tucked away in their little alcove with the ocean in front of them, and Nico tilted her head back to rest against the wall. She focused on the gentle rocking of the ship and curled her fingers around Karolina’s, and she never took her eyes off the waves.

 

 

 

Despite anything they had told Karolina on the first day, they were most undoubtedly pirates, so when Molly spotted a navy ship approaching them from her perch in the crows nest, the crew knew exactly what to do.

“Incoming!” she yelled, one hand cupping her mouth and pointing at the ship on the horizon.

Nico’s head shot up as she jumped into action, pushing her way out of the bridge and headed for the side to get a better vantage point.

“Blow the man down,” Chase was bellowing from the upper deck, both hands on the railing, and even Alex paused to give him a bewildered look.

“What?!”

“Blast them out of the water!” Gert yelled, taking a second to smack Chase on the shoulder before she rushed towards their weapons store.

The deck of the ship burst into action, people running every which way in a mess of controlled chaos, and Nico hurriedly loaded up her pistol.

“What – is there something I can do?” Karolina asked, head whipping back and forth to take in the bustle around her as she stood on the elevated quarterdeck, and Nico hesitated.

“Maybe it’d be best if you just stayed out of the way,” she said apologetically, “We’re good, but these things always have the potential to get messy fast. I don’t… want you getting hurt again.”

Karolina looked like she was going to argue, but then seemed to think better of it, withdrawing into herself.

“Here,” Nico reached behind her back and pulled a sheath off her belt, the sheath containing the same knife she’d used to free Karolina on the beach, “Take this, just in case you need it.” She pressed it into her hand, meeting her eyes for a moment before they were interrupted by another warning shout.

“Heads up, people!”

The navy ship was now close enough that they could see the sailors gesturing angrily on the deck, no doubt yelling what they thought were clever insults.

“What do they want?” Karolina asked, loose strands of hair whipping around her face in the wind.

Nico shrugged. “To arrest us, probably.”

“You’re not sure? What are you going to do?”

“Doesn’t matter. If they take us captive, then our freedom’s over. And, well, one way or another, history’s going to remember us,” she said with determination, not taking her eyes off the horizon. “And I’ll be damned if I let our parents, or anyone else tell the story.”

Karolina squeezed her wrist, the touch feather light before she retracted her hand, and Nico glanced at her once out of the corner of her eye before turning back. They watched the ship approach in silence until they were close enough to attempt boarding, and then Nico took a deep breath as the first crew members made to hop onto the navy ship.

“After all, it is a pirate’s life.” Nico shot her a grin before literally jumping into the fight.

Swords clashed and pistols fired, and Nico pressed forwards with steely determination, feeling her crew do the same. They had fought the navy before, and Nico found it hilarious how they never learned or improved, wondering at how she had ever been a part of them.

She occasionally caught a glimpse of Karolina watching from the quarterdeck, her blonde hair shining brilliantly in the sunshine, but she didn’t let herself get distracted for longer than it took to confirm that she was still unharmed.

Chase ran by cackling and Nico made to roll her eyes, but then her breath caught when it appeared that Gert had been backed into a corner on the opposite side of the deck. She whirled around to go to her aid, but immediately relaxed when she saw her grinning over at her dinosaur.

Old Lace roared, causing every last one of the men to drop their weapons and pull back either out of shock or fear, but it was enough for Molly to get the drop on them, punching each of them out with quick jabs.

It was over soon after that, and Nico was satisfied with their impressive display. Her crew was quick and efficient about it, gathering everybody up and tying them together, and the navy sailors were left sitting in the middle of their own deck.

“Now, do we have your surrender? If not, we can arrange for any one of you to visit Davy Jones’ locker. I hear it’s quite nice this time of year,” Nico drawled, ignoring their glares. Nobody spoke up, and Nico nodded over her shoulder. 

“Take everything,” Nico ordered loudly, waving her crew towards the hold. “Anything with value, supplies to replenish our stocks, go on.”

When most of the crew was back on board the _Leapfrog_ , with only a few stragglers carrying over their stolen cargo, and Nico gave another satisfied nod and indicated that it was time to go.

“You don’t know who you’re stealing from,” one of the men spat, sneering up at her, and Nico only smirked, resuming her slow pacing in front of the line of defeated sailors.

“’Course I do,” she drawled, spinning her sword lazily. He continued to glower, and she smirked. “Their eminences, the grand family of Minoru.”

The sentence was said mockingly, something bitter underlying her tone, and Nico pushed that feeling away as she flipped her sword through the air with an intricate twist, twirling it around before sheathing it and drawing their attention to the handle of the blade. It was decorated with an emblem that Nico knew everyone on this ship would recognize, given that she had stolen it from her mother before she ran away. 

“Tell them their daughter sends her regards.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's the setup! Next chapter is when they get into shenanigans, which I'm much more excited for, so _*rubs hands together*_. I'm ready for this.


	2. and she's gone

Karolina took to learning about the ship and human life with a startling amount of enthusiasm. Her legs quickly became mottled with bruises, caused by everything from her knocking her knees into doors and tables and straight up falling whenever she forgot to lift her feet properly, and Nico found it endlessly charming.

She smiled when she heard Karolina and Gert emerge from below deck, turning away from the helm, but the expression quickly slid off her face when she saw them.

“What happened?!” Nico rushed over, taking Karolina’s bandaged hand in both her own and gently turning it over as if she could see the injury through the cloth covering.

Gert rolled her eyes and waved her off, but Nico recognized the worried crease on her forehead. “Idiot here burned herself while I was cooking.”

“I didn’t know it would be that hot,” Karolina said defensively, squirming but not pulling her hand back, and Nico gaped disbelievingly.

“You touched the pot?”

“It’s fine,” Karolina gave her a smile and then waved her off. It would have been more convincing if she hadn’t turned around and immediately tripped, knocking right into Old Lace, but Nico relaxed when Old Lace chuffed and then nudged her upright again, looking very unimpressed.

“You’re supposed to be more careful!” she called after her, and Karolina spun around to give her two thumbs up, walking backwards until she knocked into an errant barrel, and Nico rolled her eyes even as a smile played on her lips, going over to help her up.

The days passed quickly with Karolina around, bringing new life to the ship and its crew. Every once in a while, Karolina would dive into the water under the cover of darkness and swim around for a few hours, returning happy and calm with a relaxed easiness to her movements that Nico envied, and Nico wondered what it felt like to swim as a mermaid, wondered if it was as freeing as it looked. She’d have to ask her someday.

 

 

 

“Race you to the top!” Molly yelled over her shoulder, already running for the mast, and Karolina laughed as she went after her. Nico stayed where she was, leaning against the railing that separated the quarterdeck from the rest of the ship and watching them with a smile on her face.

Karolina’s movements were graceful as she climbed, and Nico marveled at how steady she was on her legs now, how assured her movements were. She was leagues better than when she had first transformed and come aboard the ship.

“She’s getting better at that,” she heard Gert comment distantly, absently noting the way she shaded her eyes against the sun, “Almost like she was meant for land.”

“Yeah,” Nico murmured softly, eyes following Karolina as she threw her head back and laughed into the wind, hair blowing wildly around her face. “Sometimes it even looks like she was meant to fly.” The sun cut through a spray of water, a misty rainbow appearing in the air above her, and Nico smiled.

Gert cleared her throat, and when Nico still didn’t respond, she turned around to face her. “So…” Gert let the word trail off suggestively, leaning her back against the railing to get Nico into her line of sight, “Anything you want to tell your dearest friend and first mate, Captain?”

Startled and only just fully becoming conscious of Gert’s presence, Nico jerked back, tearing her eyes away from where Molly was standing triumphantly in the crows nest with Karolina was hanging off the side.

“Um, what?” she said dumbly.

Gert raised an eyebrow at her expectantly and tilted her head towards the crow’s nest. “Karolina?”

“What about Karolina?” she sputtered, her voice just slightly too defensive to be convincing, and Gert smirked.

“Somebody has a crush,” she singsonged, reaching out to poke at Nico’s arm, and Nico swatted her away.

“I don’t – shut up!” Nico scoffed, turning her face away and hoping her cheeks weren’t red as she stalked off, and Gert only laughed after her.

 

 

 

Weeks slipped by, and before Nico knew it they were docking again, this time at a smaller trading outpost Alex had chosen for their archives. It must have been a successful trip, because he was back after only a couple hours, dashing excitedly up the gangplank.

“Hey Nico, I think I’ve got something!” Alex called up to her, balancing an armful of maps and jerking his head towards the helm. Nico made her way down the steps to follow after him, pushing her way into the cabin to see him eagerly laying out the maps side by side.

“Alex?”

He waved her forwards with a quick hand motion, stepping back to survey the maps. “Nico… I think this is it.”

She straightened, hardly daring to hope. “You found it?”

“This was the path Amy’s ship had registered,” Alex traced a line along the paper, “I found a weather diary marking an oncoming patch of bad weather, and if it’s true, they would’ve had to change paths to avoid the storm. Therefore leading them… right…” he hovered his hand over the map for a long moment before dropping his finger on the edge of a small inked island. “…Here.”

Nico stared, feeling the weight of the word, and then she blinked when there came a tentative knock on the door. Looking up, she saw Karolina poke her head inside. Her hair was wet, telling her that she’d just gone for a swim, and Nico instinctively smiled at the sight.

“Uh, hey,” Karolina greeted them tentatively, “Are you guys busy?”

Alex shrugged, looking down at the map before lifting his head again. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I just… had a question for Nico,” Karolina answered evasively, waving a hand, “But what’s going on?”

Nico beckoned her over, feeling her excitement start to grow.

“We’ve been trying to track Amy’s last journey,” she explained. “Either they shipwrecked somewhere, or they were attacked. If they were attacked, then the enemy ship would have seized all their cargo, including the treasure they were carrying home.” She didn’t bother saying what the other option entailed. “It’s a long shot, but maybe we can still find it.”

“Her journey led there?” Karolina asked, her brow furrowed. She was staring at the map uneasily where Alex still had his finger on the island, twisting her hands together, and Nico grew concerned, feeling her excitement fade.

“Is… what’s wrong?”

“Oh no, it’s just… human ships don’t usually travel by there,” Karolina said hesitantly, casting her eyes around the cabin.

“You know those waters?” Alex asked, lifting his head and leaning towards her.

Karolina nodded slowly. “It’s very… rocky, and there’s a reef, and… it’s dangerous.”

Nico wasn’t foolish enough to believe that she could best the sea, but she knew how to get past some rocks, and it would be well worth the trouble if she could find Amy’s treasure.

“But passable?”

Karolina shrugged helplessly, looking like she wanted to say more, but Alex crossed one arm over his chest and propped up his chin with the other, drawing her attention. “Well, if I chart a path, we can get there in two, maybe three weeks?”

Karolina slowly settled in the armchair to watch them, drawing her legs up, and though Nico couldn’t see it, the crease between her eyebrows didn’t go away.

When they had a route mapped well enough for them both to be satisfied, Nico sighed and stood up, stretching out her neck. “Thanks, Alex,” she smiled, “I’m glad we’ve finally made some progress.”

“Me too,” he said earnestly, still looking over the maps, “I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

She gave him a smile and clapped him on the shoulder, and then turned around to face Karolina, moving across the room and coming to a stop in front of her. “So what did you want to ask me?”

Wordlessly, Karolina stood and held her hand out to her, and Nico half laughed. “No, remember, shaking hands is only for – ” She cut herself off when Karolina shook her head back and forth. She gently took Nico’s hand, and Nico didn’t understand what she was doing until she laced their fingers together and pulled her towards the door, letting their joined hands swing between them.

“Oh,” Nico said dumbly, “You wanted to – yeah, okay.” She let herself be led outside, following her through the halls.

“I thought we could go swimming,” Karolina said nonchalantly as she held the door open for Nico, strolling across the deck towards the cabins, and Nico took a second to process her words.

“Okay, yeah,” Nico nodded, telling herself that the sun was to blame for the flush crawling up her cheeks, “Let me just go get a change of clothes.”

 

Karolina had found a small sheltered cove off the beach, completely deserted and undisturbed, and Nico caught her breath when she saw it. She let herself be tugged forward as she took it all in, and Karolina led her to a warm patch of sand, already cleared of rocks and shells and other sea debris.

“Come on,” Karolina gestured for her to come closer excitedly, easily stripping to her underclothes and dumping them in a haphazard pile on the sand. It took Nico a couple tries to avert her gaze and she stumbled twice on her way forward, but eventually she made it to her side, starting to shrug out of her jacket.

Karolina shot her a grin as she waded into the water, leaving Nico to change as she sat down on the sand and took off her bracelet. By the time she had attached it to her necklace, her legs had disappeared and been replaced by her mermaid tail, glittering rainbow in the sunlight, and Nico couldn’t help but stare.

The corner of Karolina’s mouth curled up in a smile and she tilted her head towards the water in invitation. “Coming?”

Nico shucked off her boots and made sure her clothes were safely on dry land before going after her, tentatively stepping into the water. Karolina was already swimming, darting around as only a mermaid could, and Nico smiled at the delight shining on her face. As she fully submerged herself, Karolina was at her side quicker than she could blink, holding her hand out invitingly.

“Care for a swim, Captain?”

Nico rolled her eyes and cuffed her in the shoulder, but when Karolina laughed and extended her hand again, Nico took it.

 

“You know they call you the black witch on the high seas,” Karolina said later, tipping her head backwards to look at Nico upside down.

“Seriously?” Nico laughed, treading water.

Karolina bobbed her head and grinned at her. “They say it’s magic how you can sail a ship through any storm, how you can outrun anybody.”

“Hah, I wish,” Nico scoffed, “There’s a bit more work involved in being a successful pirate then they seem to think.”

Karolina only smiled, flipping over and quickly dunking her head before coming up again, right in front of Nico. The water was glittering on her skin, and her eyes were impossibly bright, bright enough that Nico suddenly found it hard to breathe. Her chin was abruptly dunked into the water as she lost the rhythm of her treading, and the surprise knocked her out of it.

“So what’s it like?” Nico asked curiously, spitting out the first topic change her mind could come up with, “Mermaid life.”

Karolina shrugged, trailing the tips of her fingers through the water. “Pretty similar to humans, from what I gather. Except we only have one ruler, the queen, and a court. Much like your elites, I think.” Her tone grew somber, and Nico’s brow furrowed. “Instead of pirates there are raiding parties, but other than that…” Nico swam towards an outcropping of rock as she spoke, boosting herself out of the water to sit on it and dangle her legs down. “I mean, most of the stories you humans have make it sound much more exciting than it is, but that’s basically just everyday life for us.” Karolina stretched out on her back, floating easily, and Nico scrambled to find something more to say.

“So if you started singing, I would become… enthralled?”

“It’s sirens that have that ability,” Karolina said after a long pause. Her tail glittered in the sunlight, scales flashing as she moved easily through the water. “They’re the really dangerous ones.”

She went silent after that, a pained look on her face. Nico didn’t say anything farther, but she was surprised when Karolina continued a few moments later.

“My mother finds them when they’re young and takes them into her care. Sirens are loyal to her.”

“Wow, she sounds pretty important,” Nico commented, leaning back on her hands and tilting her head towards the sky.

“Yeah, well, they trust her,” Karolina shrugged again, angling her tail to spin around in a quick circle and guide herself back over to Nico. “Now I have a question for you.”

They stayed there and talked until dark, and Nico held Karolina’s hand on the way back to the ship too.

 

 

 

The next night, it was late when Karolina found Nico out on the deck, leaning against the side of the ship and staring up at the stars. She came to stand next to her, just close enough that her elbow nudged against hers, and Nico gave her a small smile.

“You’re very pretty when you smile,” Karolina told her, giving her a sidelong glance. Her eyes were shining in the moonlight, and Nico blinked, jaw going slack at the words. “And you smile more in the dark,” she continued casually, eyes now on the waves. “Like, before we go to bed. Why?”

“I – what? How do you know?” Nico asked, shoulders curling self-consciously.

“I can… see it?” Karolina said uncertainly, turning towards her with a little furrow to her brow, “You just, you smile more in the dark.”

“…You can see in the dark?” Nico asked, partially impressed but also choosing to focus on that new fact instead of Karolina’s other comment.

“Yes?” Karolina tilted her head, “You can’t?”

Nico shook her head. “Must be because of how dark it gets underwater.”

“I have noticed you guys seem kind of blind at night,” Karolina said idly, and Nico huffed a laugh, nudging her in the side and returning her gaze to the stars. Karolina giggled and swayed to knock her shoulder against hers before quieting and looking up as well.

“I used to sneak out at night,” she started after a period of silence. “It was the closest I ever got to rebelling. I didn’t go far, of course, I was too much of a – a momma’s girl, and my mother had expressly forbidden it, so it never really happened much. But still, I would sneak out, and… I watched the night sky. The stars.” 

Nico watched as she took a deep breath and then exhaled, waiting patiently for her to continue speaking. The gentle rocking of the ship was soothing, and the sounds of the ocean wrapped around the ship.

“Just, something about them…” Karolina trailed off, face still turned upwards, and the end of her braid fluttered in the wind.

“Hey, you never know,” Nico murmured, watching her out of the corner of her eye, “Maybe you were meant for the stars.” 

The night breeze blew by, not yet strong enough to disrupt their quiet, and Nico found herself holding her breath.

“Maybe,” Karolina whispered, turning her head towards Nico. There was something shining in her eyes, something hopeful and burning as she looked at her, eyes darting back and forth. “Maybe I was meant to be here.”

Time seemed to slow down, and Nico could swear that some unseen force was pulling her forward. Her eyes were locked on Karolina’s, the deep blue just as entrancing as the first time she had seen them, and Nico felt something tug from within her chest.

The boat suddenly lurched, and Karolina stumbled on her feet, momentarily losing her balance and knocking into Nico. Nico quickly steadied her, hands instinctively going to her arms, but whatever spell had been over them had broken, disappearing into the waning moonlight.

“…We should go to bed,” Nico said, clearing her throat. Karolina was blushing, looking down at her feet, and she nodded quickly at Nico’s words, spinning on her heel to start moving towards their cabin.

 

They didn’t mention it again.

 

 

 

“Hey, where’s Karolina?” Nico wondered, glancing around and realizing she hadn’t seen her since breakfast.

Molly shrugged and Gert ignored her, but as if she had been waiting for a cue, that was the moment that one of the doors leading to the lower levels of the ship slammed open. Karolina appeared trailing after Chase, both similarly covered in dirt and grease, and Nico wrinkled her nose in distaste as she looked them over.

“What happened to you guys?” she asked, and Chase grinned.

“I figured I’d show Karolina some of the inner workings of the ship, you know, let her get a feel for it.”

Karolina bobbed her head in agreement, and Nico rolled her eyes, an amused smile playing on her lips as she took in the state of them. “And did you have fun?”

“Nope,” Karolina said cheerfully, bouncing on her feet. “It was awful and I never want to do that again.” 

It surprised a laugh out of Nico, and she reached out to snag a clean cloth and hand it to her, watching as Karolina set to work wiping the dirt off her face.

The peace of the morning was disrupted by an urgent voice yelling, “Captain! Captain, you’ve got to see this!” It was one of the crewmen, waving his arms at her from the opposite side of the deck, and Nico immediately wiped the smile off her face and ran up the steps with the others right behind her.

She accepted the proffered telescope and quickly extended it, holding it up to her eye and scanning the water ahead of them. She spotted nothing out of the order, until suddenly there was a glimmer in the water, something she couldn’t identify, and approaching fast. It didn’t look like the reflection of the sun shining off the waves, and at her side Karolina made a pained noise.

“Can you tell what it is?” Nico asked distractedly, still tracking the strange light with the telescope, and when Karolina didn’t answer she looked up.

Her face was pale, realization dawning as she squinted out at the water. She had only managed to clean half of her face, the other side still smeared with grime, and it was creating a strange shadowy effect in the light of the sun.

“Mermaids,” Karolina said, voice heavy with dread.

Nico’s eyes widened at the words, glancing at her in surprise before lifting the telescope again to try and get a better look.

“Mermaids?” she repeated in disbelief, forgetting for a moment how unbelievable it was that she was even standing next to one now. Now that Karolina had said the word, Nico recognized the sight, similar to how Karolina had looked underwater when they had gone swimming in the cove.

Karolina nodded tersely, not saying anything farther, and Nico tried to understand why she looked so scared.

“Okay, so your friends are coming to get you?” Nico tried.

“…Not my friends,” Karolina said, dread coloring her tone, “No, I didn’t have very many of those.” 

Nico stepped up to her side and glanced between her and the approaching mermaids with concern. “Okay, who are they then?”

“I told you I ran away from home?” Without looking at her, Karolina bit the inside of her cheek, the worried crease between her eyebrows not going away, and her voice was uncertain. “I think my mother sent them.”

“Your… why would she do that? Like, sent them with a message for you?”

Karolina shook her head slowly, expression grave. “No.” She took a deep breath. “My mother is the queen.” 

“The – the _queen_?” Nico exclaimed, forgetting about the telescope and turning to her in disbelief.

Karolina nodded despondently, slowly laying her cloth over the railing.

“The mermaid queen,” Molly said in confusion, and Nico continued to gape at Karolina.

“You don’t think you should have told us that detail?”

Karolina threw up her arms. “Oh, and how was I supposed to fit that into casual conversation? ‘Oh, by the way, I’m a _princess_  – ’”

“Guys! Not now!” Gert exclaimed, shading her eyes with one hand as she tried to track the mermaids. “If we’re in trouble, we have to deal with this first.”

Karolina shook her head, panic bleeding into her features. “They’ll be here faster than you think. And they’ll… they’ll have sent sirens.” Clenching her jaw, Karolina’s eyes were frightened, and Nico heard her crew gasping around them.

“We’ll be no match for them.” 

“So what do we do?” Molly demanded. She was tense, her hands clenched at her side, and Nico knew she was itching for any plan of action. “We can’t just give up.”

“Nico, you guys have to turn this ship around and _go_. Sail as far away as you can, fast enough to lose them. They came for me, and I’ll keep them busy. Go.” Nico vigorously shook her head, unable to believe how calmly Karolina was eyeing the horizon, and when Karolina turned back to her, Nico met her gaze stubbornly as she tried to shoo her away. “Nico, go.”

Nico’s annoyance disappeared in an instant when she realized what Karolina was saying, and Nico immediately stepped forward, putting herself right in front of her.

“No,” Nico shook her head again, “No, I’m not leaving you, I don’t care if – ”

“You already saved me,” Karolina said, gentle fingers moving a loose piece of hair out of Nico’s eyes before cupping her cheeks. “Now it’s my turn. I can interfere with their call long enough for you to get away,” she said as she let go and tried to push Nico towards the helm, “I can do it, but you have to _go_.”

“How?” Nico yelled out even as Gert grabbed her arm, turning back as she was dragged away.

Karolina glanced over her shoulder again, guilt shining deep in her blue eyes.

“Because I’m a siren too.”

Nico’s breath caught, and with that she watched as Karolina dove off the boat, leaving behind nothing except a stained rag and the echo of a song.

 

 

 

Nico stayed out on the deck for the rest of the day, letting the crew take care of the sailing once they had gotten what she deemed as far enough to be safe. She refused to go below and give up her vantage point of the ocean around them, ignoring her friends who tried to convince her to take a break. Old Lace alternated between sitting with her head propped up on the side of the ship and pacing back and forth behind Nico, obviously feeling the unease, and Nico tried to keep the anxiety from overwhelming her.

It was dark by the time she spotted something shining in the water, a flickering glow off in the distance, and Nico hurried to let the ladder down as it approached. A blonde head soon popped out of the water, and Nico heaved a sigh of relief, watching anxiously as Karolina started to climb.

She reached the top and heaved herself over the side, all but falling onto the deck, and Nico felt her breath leave her in a rush of relief. Karolina was clearly exhausted, face drawn, and Nico dropped to her knees and hugged her as tightly as she could, squeezing her eyes shut and uncaring of the fact that she was soaking wet.

Karolina clumsily brought one arm up to hug her back, leaving the other one to prop herself up as she buried her face in Nico’s hair.

“Oh my god,” Nico breathed, not loosening her grip, “Never do that again.”

Karolina’s arms tightened, and she nodded into her neck.

There was a yowl from Old Lace, and then the sound of quick footsteps announcing Gert’s arrival.

“I’m sorry for lying,” Karolina said quietly, hanging her head and letting wet strands of hair fall down to hide her face. “About, being a siren. I just – didn’t want you to think I was dangerous, or untrustworthy, or…”

“It’s okay,” Nico whispered, rubbing her back, “It’s okay, you’re back.”

“I’m sorry,” Karolina whispered, and her voice was hoarse.

They stayed there until Nico felt Karolina stop shaking, and then she helped her to her feet and pulled her arm around her shoulders, Gert hurrying to do the same on her other side. Karolina hadn’t been this shaky on her feet in a while, and Nico pressed her lips together, tightening her grip around her waist.

“Come on,” she said softly. They made their way to the cabin together, Gert letting Nico support Karolina as she darted ahead to hold the door open for them.

“I’ll go let the others know Karolina’s back, talk to the crew,” she told them once they were inside, and Nico nodded gratefully at her, hearing her close the door behind her as she left.

Slowly, Nico crossed the room and lowered Karolina onto the armchair, careful not to let her fall as she stepped back. She was clutching her bracelet in one hand, and Nico cautiously reached out to pry her fingers off of it as gently as she could.

“The necklace snapped,” Karolina said tiredly, letting Nico fit the bracelet around her wrist properly. “I lost it, in the water somewhere, I don’t know.”

“Here, I have one you can use,” Nico rose to her feet and moved to the dresser on the other side of the room, hearing Karolina get up and pad after her. She pulled out an ornate jewelry box, running her fingers over the Minoru emblem carved into the top out of habit before she opened it.

“It’s in here somewhere…” Nico murmured as she dug through the box, pushing aside various loose items she’d collected over the years. Most of her keepsakes were hidden in here, knick-knacks stored with the jewelry she never wore, and there was a lot more stuff here then she remembered.

“Nico. What is that?” Karolina spoke up, voice so urgent it surprised Nico into lifting her head.

“Huh?”

She looked over to see Karolina pointing at a tarnished silver necklace Nico had tucked into the lid, a fragmented compass pendant hanging from it.

“Oh, it’s a necklace. Amy had the matching half,” Nico told her, reaching out to pull it free and hold it out to her by the chain.

Karolina took it with shaking fingers, folding it over so she could examine the pendant properly. “Amy?” she repeated, staring at it with an incredulous look on her face.

“…Yeah,” Nico said slowly, brow furrowed in concern as she tried to decipher her expression. “What… Karolina, what is it?”

“Nico,” Karolina said in shock, holding up the necklace, “…I think your sister is _alive_.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....It's my au and I'll save Amy if I want to


End file.
